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Let’s be honest, nobody is going to get rich backing England to win their three-match one-day series in Bangladesh at a best 1-4 with betfred so we are going to have to examine alternative options to keep the wolves from the door this week. Backing Graeme Swann to take most wickets is certainly viable. Swann (11-4 with Victor Chandler) has given every indication he will thrive on the Bangladesh wickets and, following a tremendous Ashes series and another solid showing in South Africa, is showing no sign of letting his standards drop. He again shone in last week’s two T20 games against Pakistan in Dubai and in England’s warm-up match against a Bangladeshi Board XI and is a near-certainty to start all three one-day games and be given his full quota of overs with the rest of England’s attack having a fragile look about it at present. Stuart Broad, 11-4 with Stan James and Ladbrokes, is probably the only other of England’s bowlers likely to feature in every match but the youngster can still blow a little hot and cold and looks a risky proposition at that price to me. James Tredwell, England’s second spinner, can be backed at a general 6-1 while Yorkshire team-mates Tim Bresnan and Ajmal Shahzad are a best 11-2 (bet365 and extrabet) and 25-1 (skybet) respectively to take most Bangladesh wickets. You can almost certainly guarantee yourself a profit by scouring the correct score markets as well. Let’s not forget, England have played and beaten Bangladesh eight times in the 50-over format of the game and most of those victories were by wide margins. This may be a bit of an experimental squad being led by Alastair Cook but it’s still one that contains proven one-day and Test performers in the shape of Swann, Broad, Cook, Collingwood, Pietersen and Prior and they will have no excuses if failing. Given that, Victor Chandler’s 5-4 for a 3-0 England whitewash shouldn’t be missed, though you can still employ a safety net in the shape of totesport’s 11-5 for a 2-1 scoreline should the England selectors decide to give some fringe players an outing or a touch of complacency creeps in. Either result would still turn you a profit. Kevin Pietersen, incidentally, heads the top England batsmen market at a general 3-1 but you can get 5-1 with skybet against him being upstaged by England’s new ‘South African’ scoring sensation Craig Kieswetter. 

The weights for the John Smith’s Grand National in April were published this week and, as always, they’ve invoked optimism and disappointment in equal measure. Trainers who have been pleasantly surprised by the weight their charges have been allotted are usually, understandably, coy about revealing their feelings but those who feel the handicapper have served them an injustice are never slow in letting those involved know about it! One such is Mouse Morris, who has all but already ruled out former Gold Cup winner War Of Attrition (quoted at 20-1 by Blue Square and 888sport) telling the Racing Post he was, "more than a bit baffled and very disappointed" having been given 11st1lb. Former winners Mon Mome (33-1 with Stan James), Comply Or Die (a general 25-1) and Silver Birch (a general 50-1) remain on track for the big race, however, as do Tricky Trickster and Niche Market, first and second in Newbury’s Aon Chase. The former heads the early ante-post market at a general 12-1, while the latter can be backed at a general 16-1 along with Dessie Hughes‘ Irish raiders Vic Venturi and Black Apalachi, first and second in the Bobbyjo Chase at Fairyhouse and both already winners over the Grand National fences. Coral will give you odds of 2-1 that an Irish horse wins the race again in 2010 and another interesting runner from the Emerald Isle could be Willie Mullins’ Arbor Supreme. Successful in long-distance chases at Punchestown and Fairyhouse in 2008 and usually at his best in the spring, the eight-year-old has been lightly campaigned this season and  is by no means overburdened with 10st8lbs. He can be backed at 40-1 with sportingbet, Coral and William Hill. Big Fella Thanks (20-1 with Ladbrokes and William Hill) looks to be the number one hope of the powerful Paul Nicholls yard but I like the early look of Character Building at 33-1 with Victor Chandler, Ladbrokes and William Hill. John Quinn’s grey, winner of last season’s Kim Muir Handicap Chase at Cheltenham, proved his stamina when runner-up in the 4m National Hunt Chase when only a seven-year-old and looks to have been campaigned with an Aintree bid in mind this term.

Miko De Beauchene, 10-1 with sponsors Blue Square and 888sport to win this year, managed the feat and Dream Alliance can follow in his hoofprints in 2010. What am I talking about? The Coral Welsh National/Blue Square Gold Cup double! Philip Hobbs has been unstinting in his belief that his gelding would one day develop into one of the country’s leading staying chasers and Dream Alliance finally appeared to come of age at Chepstow in December. Runner-up to subsequent Gold Cup winner Denman in the Hennessy in 2007, connections of the nine-year-old than had to endure a frustrating sequence of runs in which Dream Alliance failed to complete. But it transpired he had a tendon injury that required complete rest, indeed there were fears that the horse may never race again. But, after 18 months on the sidelines, he delighted his trainer with a second over hurdles in November and proved he was back to his best when storming to victory in the Welsh National, beating Silver By Nature, Le Beau Bai, Miko De Beauchene, Ballyfitz and Coe in the process. Now some would argue that a few of those behind have every chance of turning the tables here with the winner racing off a 9lb higher mark and Le Beau Bai (6-1 with Blue Square and 888sport) has won over hurdles since to prove his wellbeing. But I think Dream Alliance (7-1 with Blue Square, 888sport and William Hill) will be even better over this slightly shorter trip and could yet prove he is a high-class stayer. Of those behind at Chepstow, Coe (a general 7-1) is arguably the most interesting this weekend as he travelled strongly for a long way in front before tiring and has a decent record around Haydock. Another with a proven track record is Our Vic (20-1 with Victor Chandler and Stan James) who had 2009 Grand National winner Mon Mome (a general 12-1) trailing under a similar weight over 3m here last month. His welter burden may bog him down over this extra half-mile, however, and a more interesting each-way prospect could be Nick Williams‘ mare L’Aventure (a general 16-1) who is a former Welsh National winner herself. She won over 4m at Kelso in December so clearly retains plenty of ability and is the type to run a big race off a light weight in the mud around here.

What is patently obvious, looking at the stats of this week’s Totesport Trophy at Newbury, is that anything trained by either Nicky Henderson or Gary Moore deserves the utmost respect. Henderson saddles four in this year’s renewal of the UK’s most valuable handicap hurdle with stable jockey Barry Geraghty partnering Spirit River, an impressive winner on his latest outing at Cheltenham in December. Spirit River (a general 7-1) has only had five career starts to date so is probably open to more improvement than most and it’s easy to see why he currently heads the market. Stablemate Fairyland (22-1 with sportingbet) is also an interesting runner, however, in that she’s a recent C&D winner (beat Frontier Dancer here last time) and stays further than this 2m, a valuable asset to possess in a race which is always run at a tremendous pace. But I think the Moore yard has tremendous prospects of landing a third consecutive Totesport Trophy via Harry Tricker. The six-year-old displayed a tremendous turn of foot to beat an in-form Zabeel Palace at Sandown in November before splitting Champion Hurdle prospect Khyber Kim and subsequent Grade 2 winner Medermit in the prestigious Greatwood Hurdle at Cheltenham shortly after. The handicapper saw fit to raise Harry Tricker (8-1 with Ladbrokes, Betfred and on betfair) 12lbs for that but regular jockey Andrew Glassonbury reduces that burden by 3lb and this appears to have been his target for a while. Given luck in running, Harry Tricker’s speed could be the deciding factor in this. Other contenders to watch out for include the novice Manyriverstocross (11-1 with Stan James and Coral) whom Alan King rates highly. He was a decent stayer on the flat and has carried that form into his hurdling career though he weakened quickly over a longer distance here last time, and Mamlook (a general 9-1 chance). The latter won a shade cosily at Ascot last month after travelling strongly throughout but he isn’t that big and there’s a chance he may get bullied in this big field over a trip that is probably on the sharp side for him nowadays and punters have been preferring stablemate Ronaldo Des Mottes (10-1 on Coral and sportingbet) so far. Takeroc (11-1 with Coral) has proved popular with punters since it was announced he was to be partnered by Ruby Walsh but he hasn’t shown enough over hurdles for me to warrant his price and neither has Tony McCoy’s mount Get Me Out Of Here, 8-1 with bet365 and Stan James, who may be unbeaten but has never met opposition of this calibre before. Songe (a general 40-1) has reportedly been rejuvenated by a soft palate operation and is well treated on his best form. If the ground turned really heavy he would be of real interest and certainly makes more appeal as an each-way investment than some at much shorter odds.

Superbowl XLIV between the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints is being billed as the big quarterback showdown between Peyton Manning and Drew Brees but I think the key figure in the tussle in Miami’s Sun Life Stadium could be the Colts‘ running back Pierre Garcon. Rain has been falling persisitently in south Florida since the weekend, threatening to turn the field into a quagmire and making handling conditions difficult, and that could persuade both quarterbacks to limit the number of long plays they target towards their regular wide receivers. So step forward Monsieur Garcon! In his second season with the Colts, the 23-year-old New Yorker has accumulated a return of 11 catches and 151 receiving yards and his ability to run at speed from deep was too much for the Jets‘ defense to handle in the AFC Championship game. The Saints‘ defense will more than likely be doubling up on Colts‘ first-choice receivers Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark so Garcon’s ability to latch on to the short pass could be even more important and he looks a decent bet at a general 12-1 to score the first touchdown of what promises to be a high-scoring game. Peyton Manning’s credentials as the Colts‘ possible match-winner are well-advertised. The NFL’s Most Valuable Player of 2009 did, after all, lead the Colts to victory in Miami three years ago – but what of opposite number Drew Brees? The former Chargers‘ QB is widely regarded as one of the most innovative in his position in the NFL and he’ll acquire legendary status if he manages to steer the Saints to victory in their first-ever appearance in the Superbowl. He’s formed a productive partnership with Marques Colston (10-1 with boylesports, Ladbrokes and William Hill to score the first touchdown) but Brees may have to temper his adventurous nature if the play demands it and one can’t be sure how he’ll react if things start to turn against his team. The Colts have a very mobile defense and Brees will find himself under immense pressure every time he has ball in hand and he looked very nervy in the NFC championship decider against the Vikings. That game exposed the Saints‘ defensive limitations to some degree and Manning is probably a more consistent quarterback than the legendary Brett Favre nowadays so Colts‘ fans will be hopeful their man can enjoy similar success in opening up the opposition’s flanks. I  believe that the Colts will be much too strong for the Superbowl rookies and would recommend backing them to overcome a five-point start for the Saints at Evens with Stan James. I would even suggest they may be capable of racking up a double-figure points margin if grabbing the early initiative so the general 6-1 for a 13-18 winning points margin in favour of the Colts also makes some appeal.

France are 13-8 favourites with Blue Square, Stan James and 888sport to win rugby union’s Six Nations, which gets under way at the weekend, and as short as 11-8 in places. Are they having a laugh? Seriously, how could anyone put money on Les Bleus while the enigmatic Marc Lievremont remains in charge? Prone to unfathomable errors of judgement where team matters are concerned and liable to change a winning formula on a whim, half the time not even the French themselves seem to know what to expect from their team and that would be amajor worry for anyone thinking of following the market. Despite their clubs dominating in the Heineken Cup this season, they are just too unpredictable to back in my eyes and it’s no coincidence that they haven’t won the Six Nations title for six years. So with Italy (250-1 with most bookmakers) again set for their annual role as whipping boys – who are we putting up? Well, in all honesty, there can only be one answer. Ireland, I believe, are a class apart from the other northern hemisphere countries at the moment, a fact reflected in the autumn internationals against the big teams from south of the equator. A victory over South Africa and a pulsating draw against the Wallabies was followed up by a demolition job on Fiji, results which put the efforts of their Six Nations rivals in the shade. Brian O’Driscoll is still the best in his position in the world, and Rob Kearney can also rightly call himself world-class nowadays as well. Add to that, a powerful pack and the experience of last year’s Grand Slam and you should have a winning formula. I wouldn’t have marked up the Irish anywhere near the widely avaiable 5-2 and, though they have to go to Paris and Twickenham this season, another Irish Grand Slam (generally 6-1) is by no means out of the question. Extrabet have also priced up straight forecast odds this year and I might be interested in the Ireland-Scotland combo at 40-1. The Scots are a bit like the French in that you never know what you are going to get but they may have made a shrewd move in appointing Andy Robinson as coach and won’t be easy to beat if the autumn internationals are a good guide. A remarkable victory over Australia showed what the Scots can do when they stick to their game plan and they are more than capable of springing a couple of surprises this term. England’s dismal showing in last year’s champiosnhip and an injury-hit autumn doesn’t inspire confidence that they’ll be in the shake-up so extrabet and totesport’s 5-1 looks short but what of Wales? Winners of the Grand Slam in 2008 but disappointing in the main last season, they looked a dispirited bunch on their last outing at the Millenium Stadium and would probably have to win at Twickenham on the opening day if they are to get themselves back on track. I think that’s unlikely and I’m not remotely interested in Paddy Power and Ladbrokes‘ quote of 5-1 against the Welsh winning the Six Nations – that’s reserved for the men in green!

The new Super League season is upon us and that must mean that summer is just around the corner! But before you dig out the sleeveless tops from the back of your wardrobe and iron those floral bermuda shorts that don’t look good anywhere but on the beach at Ayia Napa, how about setting about funding your holiday by lumping on the Leeds Rhinos with bwin to finish top of the regular season. The Austrian-based bookmakers, who are offering a matched bet up to £30 for new customers, are relatively new kids on the UK block and, as such, may be trying to establish themselves in the market by putting up one or two giveaways in the weeks ahead. That certainly seems to be the case with offering 11-10 against the Rhinos finishing top of the pile again (most of their rivals are going odds-on!) and this price should be snapped up before it inevitably disappears. Leeds arguably still have a little way to go before emulating Wigan’s exploits in the 1990s but there is no disputing their current dominance of the domestic scene. Last October, they completed a hat-trick of Grand Final wins and coach Brian McClennan is confident that a fourth will follow in 2010, despite the loss of Lee Smith to rugby union. Kiwi Greg Eastwood will enhance the Rhinos‘ options, while Aussie centre Brett Delaney with prove an able replacement for Smith. In addition, former Kangaroos captain Danny Buderus is fit again and, with big things expected of youngsters like Kallum Watkins this term, it’s difficult to see where the champions have a weakness. They are 13-10 with sportingbet for another Grand Final win. St Helens, beaten finalists in last year’s Grand Final and top of the regular season in five of the last seven seasons, should again be among their closest challengers. But the loss of Sean Long and Lee Gilmour could take a while to recover from and some of the Saints‘ promising youngsters are going to have to come of age pretty rapidly. Given those facts the 7-2 offered by skybet, sportingbet and Stan James to top the regular season isn’t that attractive. Warrington won the Challenge Cup last year but are perennial under-achievers when it comes to the league so the general 12-1 makes little appeal but the team they beat at Wembley, Huddersfield Giants, might be worth a little each-way interest at a general 14-1 as they look to have recruited wisely over the winter. They shouldn’t be as big as Wigan (Ladbrokes) who may remain maddeningly inconsistent for a while longer until new coach Michael Maguire settles into the role.

Manchester City have been shortened to general 4-1 second favourites for this season’s FA Cup after another weekend of relative upsets in England’s premier knockout competition. A City second-string cruised past Championship strugglers Scunthorpe in round four but whether the Premier League’s biggest spenders will still have Brazilian striker Robinho among their ranks when they take on Stoke City in the fifth round remains unclear, however. The former Real Madrid star has allegedly already told a Brazilian radio station that he’s joining Santos in his homeland on loan until the end of the season, despite denials by City manager Roberto Mancini. City’s next opponents Stoke were one of those teams responsible for a surprise in the fourth round, knocking out 10-times winners Arsenal. The Potters, who have never reached an FA Cup Final, are now 50-1 chances with Skybet, boylesports and Betfred, to lift the trophy in May. With Manchester United and Liverpool already having already fallen by the wayside and Spurs (8-1 with Blue Square, 888sport and Ladbrokes) being held to a draw by League One  Leeds (80-1 with Betfred and Stan James) Chelsea, the last survivors of the traditional ‘Big Four’ of the Premier League, are now understandably hot favourites to defend their crown, only Ladbrokes putting their head above the parapet by offering odds of 7-4 against the Blues who will face Championship side Cardiif City at Stamford Bridge in round five. Birmingham City may be worth an interest at bet365’s 16-1. Alex McLeish’s side are in teriffic form, underlined by their win at Everton in the last round, and they shouldn’t be unduly worried about a trip to Pride Park to meet an ordinary Derby County (200-1 with boylesports and William Hill) in the last 16. Aston Villa, with one Wembley appearance already booked, are general 7-1 chances having been paired with either Wolves or Crystal Palace while Fulham (general 14-1) will also fancy their chances of further progress with a home tie against either Wigan Athletic (available at 50-1) or League Two Notts County. That’s providing the latter survive another winding-up order this week. South coast near neighbours Southampton (150-1) and Portsmouth (40-1) clash at St Mary’s in perhaps the most attractive of the fifth-round ties.

The decision to leave Andrew Strauss out of England’s touring party to Bangladesh was surely one of cricket’s worst-kept secrets. Strauss is being rested following his team’s creditable draw in South Africa with selectors no doubt having one eye on next winter’s Ashes as well as the summer series against Pakistan. Alastair Cook, Strauss‘ regular partner at the top of the order and his current vice-captain, will take charge of the team for the Test series against Bangladesh as well as three one-day games, though Paul Collingwood will continue his role as T20 skipper for warm-up games against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates. Jimmy Anderson will also be rested in an attempt to sort out a nagging knee problem but otherwise the England Test line-up will have a largely familiar look about it, despite the addition of uncapped pace bowler Ajmal Shahzad of Yorkshire, Kent off-spinner James Tredwell and Hampshire batsman Michael Carberry. There’s also a recall for Durham’s Liam Plunkett but most of all the selectors will be viewing the Bangladesh tour as an opportunity for some of their under-performing batsmen to get some runs under their belt .Given that, Jonathan Trott (5-1 with Stan James and William Hill) and Kevin Pietersen (11-4 with Coral) will be popular choices to finish as England’s top runs scorer. Given the international rankings, this really is a Test series that England should win at a canter so William Hill’s 2-7 will almost certainly attract the big hitters, especially as they are as short as 1-7 to win the series in places. Coral’s 12-1 is the best price you’ll get on the home side causing an upset. Looking ahead, England have been pushed out to 3-1 (Betfred) to win in Australia next winter following their capitulation in Johannesburg at the weekend, with the Aussies into a general 4-7 to regain the Ashes.

You know I’m going out on a bit of a limb here, but I think that the step up in distance may be just what Micheal Flips has been looking for and Andy Turnell’s son of champion stayer Kayf Tara is attractively priced at 14-1 with totesport to land the 2m5f williamhill.com Lanzarote Hurdle (Handicap) at Kempton. Stamina certainly shouldn’t be an issue with Micheal (yes, that is how you spell it!) Flips, who won a point to point over 3m in Ireland as a four-year-old, and there is no doubting his ability to act around Kempton either. The six-year-old beat Fairyland and Hot Diamond (both successful next time) in eye-catching fashion over two miles here just over a year ago and though well beaten at both the Cheltenham and Aintree Festivals after had excuses on both occasions, attempting to give weight away to all but one of his rivals in Grade 2 company on the latter occasion. After a fair reappearance at Ascot, it could be argued that his latest Newbury run suggests he is in the handicapper’s grip now but that was on a left-handed track. Travelling the opposite way round, Micheal Flips should feel more at home and the extra yardage can bring out the best in him here. This being a competitive handicap, dangers abound everywhere of course. Nicky Henderson appears to have kept his team ticking over during the cold spell so the claims of Tasheba have to be taken seriously. He defied a welter burden to score over 2m1f at Sandown last month and has stablemate Duc De Reigniere (12-1 with bet365) at the top of the handicap to ensure the weights remain compact here. A stayer on the flat and already a winner over 2m4f over hurdles, there’ll be plenty of takers for bet365 and Stan James‘ 5-1. Aidan Coleman is reportedly keen on the chances of his mount Aachen (15-2 with totesport), who was a prolific winner on the flat and took well to hurdles last season. But he hasn’t raced since April of last year so we’ll stick with Micheal Flips to be the spark of cheer that will lead us out of the depths of winter.